The Clear Northern Sky
by Hallistra9
Summary: The original and beloved story of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, plus one new character (No Mary-Sue guarantee). I decided to write this fan fiction because of reasons. Admit it, Peter is so gosh darn cute that a love-interest needed to happen. So, without further ado, enjoy!


"This is what becomes of those who cross the witch!"

The pronouncement came from behind, and the Pevensies spun around to face the fox that had been watching them. The already-frightened children clung to each other, with Peter standing in front of his younger siblings. They were still being pursued by the wolves in the tunnel beneath them, and it would only be a matter of minutes before they were caught.

Mr. Beaver advanced angrily, his voice laden with rage and grief. "Take one more step traitor, and I'll chew you to splinters!" Mrs. Beaver put a paw out to hold her husband back, nervously eyeing Fox.

"Relax!" chuckled Fox, jumping lightly down from the burrow on which he stood. "I'm one of the good guys."

"Yeah? Well you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones." Mr. Beaver still wasn't backing down, but with every passing second the wolves got closer to the surface where the flimsy block in the tunnel entrance wouldn't hold for more than a moment.

Fox rolled his eyes. "An unfortunate family resemblance, but we can argue breeding later."

At that moment, a howl sounded from far too close, muffled only by the barrel barricade. Peter knew that they were running out of time, and had no choice but to put their faith in this stranger. They couldn't stay here at the mercy of Jadis' minions for another second. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, making the snap decision.

Fox smiled, his brown eyes climbing upwards.

When Maugrim and his pack reached the top of the tunnel, all that was needed to break out was their momentum. With a cracking of wood, they burst out from behind the barrel and into the darkened clearing. Fox swished his tail back and forth over the snow, trying to look nonchalant. From above in the tree, the Pevensies held as still and quiet as they could, hardly daring to breathe. They were all cold, but with the sharp ears of the wolves below they could scarcely even afford to shiver.

As the pack spread out in a ring around Fox, he looked up with what he hoped was suitably casual expression. "Greetings. Lost something have we?"

Maugrim snarled, obviously hell-bent on making somebody pay for his troubles tonight. "Don't patronize me…I know where your allegiance lies." Stalking around Fox in a wide circle, the wolf's eyes gleamed with a twisted chill. "We're looking for some humans."

"Humans, here in Narnia!" Fox threw in a note of incredulous laughter, hoping for the Pevensies' sake that his act would be convincing. "Well that's a valuable bit of information don't you think?"

Lucy began to gasp aloud when one of the wolves lunged forward and seized Fox in his jaws around the midsection. From around the wide trunk of the tree, a hand flew forward out of the dark and clapped itself over the little girl's mouth. Peter and Susan started, and reached for their younger sister to free her from the grip of the stranger. Leaning forward, Peter was about to risk making noise when he saw a pair of blue eyes looking at him from underneath a hooded cloak. The expression in those eyes was not threatening, but it did beseech caution. An unspoken understanding passed between them that the stranger would not hurt Lucy, and that they danger from the wolf pack below was still far from over.

From the ground below, Maugrim's leering voice reached their ears. "Your reward is your life, and it's not much, but still…" He told Fox, as the other wolf bit down just a bit harder on his sides. "Where are the fugitives?"

For a moment, Fox panted in the vice-like grip. Lowering his head in defeat, he gasped "North. They ran North."

"Smell them out." Maugrim ordered his pack, and they began to race away out of the clearing. The wolf tossed Fox aside carelessly, and he landed with a yelp in the snow. He tried briefly to rise, and then sank down again with a sigh of pain.

The moment that all of the wolves were gone, the stranger released Lucy and dropped down from branch to branch. Landing quickly, he hurried over to Fox's side. At least Peter guessed it was a 'he'. Helping Lucy to climb down, the Pevensies and the Beavers worked their way out of the tree as well. When they reached Fox, the stranger was already lifting him carefully into his arms.

Fox raised his head gingerly, and spoke to the hooded figure. "I'm alright Keela, you needn't carry me."

"Don't be a fool, you've got open bite-marks in your sides." Now Peter knew that the stranger was definitely a girl, judging by her voice. "They'll have to be tended before you go running around."

Mrs. Beaver stepped forward. "I can stitch those up in a jiffy, I brought my sewing kit just in case." It seemed that she really had brought almost everything from the dam, which was remarkable given the speed of their departure.

"Not here though." Mr. Beaver said, eyeing Fox with more respect now than before. "We need to find a safe place to camp out for the night. There's a little spot nearby, we can stay there pretty safely I should think."

The stranger, Keela, nodded. Still carrying Fox, she fell into step with the Pevensies as they left the cold, dark clearing behind.

A little later on, they all sat as close as they could to the small fire that Mr. Beaver had made. Fox lay on his side while Mrs. Beaver sewed with deft paws. Upon inspection, the bites weren't as bad as they could have been, and she had pronounced that Fox would be alright as long as he didn't push himself too hard.

Peter, Susan, and Lucy watched Keela from across the fire pit, and she looked back unflinchingly. She was probably about Peter's age, give or take a year. Her long brown hair hung over her shoulder in a slightly-mussed braid, some strands hanging loose to frame a face that was elegant in a natural, even pretty sort of way. She wore strange clothes, the likes of which would certainly never have been worn in London. Some sort of well-fitted, extra long grey-blue shirt which was fastened up the front with small clasps. It went down well below her waist, and was cinched there by a leather belt embossed with a pattern of leaves. Instead of a skirt like most English girls would wear, she had on some sort of thick grey woolen hose. Over all that she still kept her cloak on to ward against the winter chill, although the hood was now down. What struck the Pevensies most of all about this strange girl was that she went armed. In sheaths on her back were two long thin knives, and their black hilts reached up from behind each shoulder to gleam slightly in the firelight.

A sudden yelp from Fox interrupted their silent observations. Looking concerned, Lucy asked softly "Are you alright?"

"Well, I wish I could say that their bark is worse than their bite." He flinched and yipped again, glancing up balefully at Mrs. Beaver.

She scolded as she tried to finish her work. "Stop squirming! You're worse than Beaver on bath day."

Mr. Beaver glanced over at the Pevensies with a dramatic expression.

"Worst day of the year!"

With a groan, Fox pulled himself up to stand on four legs. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid that's all the cure I have time for."

"You're leaving?" asked Lucy.

"It has been a pleasure my queen, and an honor." As Fox said the past part, he tucked his front leg in and bowed to the little girl. "But time is short, and Aslan himself has asked us to gather more troops. Keela and I have been scouting out the forests for the past several days searching for Narnians willing to stand and fight against the White Witch."

The reaction from Mr. and Mrs. Beaver was immediate. "You've seen Aslan?" Mr. Beaver asked in a voice hushed with reverence.

"What's he like!?" Mrs. Beaver asked excitedly.

The look on Fox's face was inspired. "Like everything we've ever heard." The pronouncement seemed to hang heavy in the air, like a wish. "You'll be glad to have him by your side in the battle against the witch."

At this, Peter looked both hesitant and embarrassed. "We're not planning on fighting against any witch." Susan protested.

"But surely King Peter...?" Fox turned to look directly at the older boy with concern. "The prophecy!"

Mr. Beaver added his voice quietly. "We can't go to war without you." From her place across the fire, Keela leveled a look at Peter that made him squirm with a niggling sense of obligation. A glance at Susan's angry face confirmed her opinion on the matter. There was nothing for it, he couldn't risk getting their family tangled up in something so much bigger than themselves. But the disquiet such a thought brought Peter made him wrinkle his nose in frustration before flicking a stone into the cracking flames.

"We just want our brother back." That was all he said, but it seems to pacify both parties for now. Susan and Lucy looked down in what seemed to be relief, while the Narnians gracefully dropped the subject.

The next day seemed like an endless trek through the snow-covered trees. The drifts were deep in some places, and Lucy kept stumbling on her short little legs. All of the Pevensies had cold, wet socks and their legs were sore, but they kept on putting on foot in front of the other. Fox had left them the night before, but Keela had remained behind with their group to ensure they found their way to The Stone Table. The tall girl remained silent for the most part, occasionally sidling up to Mrs. Beaver for a quick exchange of words. By the time they reached the white, open stretch of the valley, the Pevensies' footsteps were all starting to drag a bit, with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Keela starting to get too far ahead.

Mr. Beaver turned around and waved a paw, beckoning the children forward. "Come on humans, while we're still young."

Peter sighed and shook his head. "If he tells us to hurry one more time, I'm gonna turn him into a big, fluffy hat!" He bent down and scooped up Lucy onto his back; all of the stumbling in the deep snow earlier had clearly tired her out. As the group plodded on, Keela dropped back a bit to walk beside Peter and Susan. Although she didn't say anything she greeted them with a smile. Her eyes were surprisingly friendly despite her previous silence. Peter was curious about this strange girl, with her travel clothes and long dark knives. "Where are you from Keela?" he asked, not really expecting London to be the answer.

"I'm from the same world as you, but not the same time I think." Keela fell back a step to allow Susan to fall in beside them. "I've been in Narnia for a while though. Long enough to know my way around a bit."

"It's curious..." Susan began, eyeing the older girl. "There's been all this carrying on about prophecies and humans since we got here, and by Narnian reckoning you're also a 'daughter of Eve'. Why hasn't the witch tried to hunt you down?"

Keela gave a small shrug, sending her braid falling between her cloaked shoulders. "Either she doesn't know I'm here, or I'm not a part of the prophecy. Now that you and your brother have arrived, that's two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve. I think the second choice is the most likely; the witch has spies everywhere in Narnia." Another smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Besides, I doubt she'd be willing to risk going after a human once they're safely within Aslan's camp."

"When do you think we'll get there?" asked Lucy, a hint of restlessness in her voice. The poor child had been on the run since daybreak, and would clearly welcome a break.

"Once we get across this frozen lake we'll be back into the tree-line. From there we should reach the Stone Table by late afternoon." From the looks of her, Keela could probably have said that the trip would take another week without batting an eye.

"Hurry up! Come on!" came yet another shout from Mr. Beaver up ahead.

"He is getting a little bossy..." Lucy admitted to Peter as she tried not to sag down his back.

Suddenly a panicked cry from Mrs. Beaver reached them. "Behind you, it's her!" A glance over their shoulders was all the Pevensies needed to see a sleigh bearing down on them fast. Fear surged through all of them. Mr. Beaver's earlier statement about what the witch would do to them if she caught them came echoing back and the strength to run flooded into their legs. Peter dropped Lucy down and they took off like a shot, Susan and Keela hard on their heels. The snow dragged at Lucy making it hard for Peter to rush her along. Keela rushed up on Lucy's other side and half-lifted the little girl off the ground by her armpit. Peter followed suit with the arm that he was clutching, and together they more carried than dragged Lucy into the tree-line.

"Hurry!" cried Peter when he turned to see the white sleigh only a stone's throw behind them. The Beavers scurried ahead through the bracken, leading the humans in search of a place to hide.

Salvation presented itself as a small dugout under an embankment. "Inside!" Mr. Beaver shouted as they whirled down and into the warren. It was shallow and rocky, but Peter prayed feverishly that it would be enough to conceal them from the White Witch. Nobody dared to breathe as the sleigh bells jingled from above. Footsteps began making their way forward, crunching the snow underfoot as they came to stand right above the entrance to the dugout. Small showers of snow came falling before them from where the figure stood. Everyone could see the person's shadow cast on the bank before them, and the thought of capture being so close made Peter break into a cold sweat. Huddling together in a group, he was keenly aware of a scent that must be Keela's; mixes of campfire smoke and pine.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shadow moved away and there was silence. Almost too soon, Lucy dared to speak. "Maybe...she's gone?"

"I suppose I'll go look." Volunteered Peter before starting to rise.

"No!" whispered Mr. Beaver. "You're worth nothing to Narnia dead."

Mrs. Beaver protested "But neither are you Beaver!"

"Thanks sweetheart." Mr. Beaver took his wife's paw between his before climbing up and around the edge of the dugout. Silence fell again, and Peter tried to give Lucy a reassuring smile. Susan's worry was plain to see on her face though. There was a rustle from somewhere up above, then footsteps started quickly towards the top of their hiding place.

"Come here, come here!" exclaimed Mr. Beaver as he stuck his furry head down into view. His sudden appearance startled everyone and squeezed a scream out of Lucy. "I hope you've all been good, 'cause there's someone here to see ya!"


End file.
